Competing against someone who you are no match for.
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Punch above one's weight
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I learned over 50 years ago in school that "beyond the pale" referred to the "line" or boundary the Roman army set up between British and Scottish regions at the time of…
A mojo hand is a charm to make a special woman love you. In the song he is going down to Louisiana to get him a mojo hand. So he is living in Chicago and goes down south because…
I wonder if Murgatroyd is a purposeful mispronunciation of purgatory... heavens to purgatory... Hmmmm...
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From the Phrase Finder Digest
- Four Christmas Phrases Everyone Repeats Have A Documented Paper Trail
Shops start playing carols and stacking tins of biscuits weeks before December even arrives, which makes Christmas the longest-running seasonal hook of the year. The phrases that travel with it, from a bishop's 1534 letter to a 1977 political jibe, have a better paper trail than most people assume.
21 October 2026
- Old Soldiers Never Die: The Song Behind The Saying
Remembrance Sunday brings out a handful of phrases we repeat without thinking about where they came from. Two are older than any war fought in living memory, and one has a history most people get wrong.
14 October 2026
Based on Google Books usage over the last ~25 years. Refreshes each build.
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- MeaningA cup of joeAn informal American term for a cup of coffee.
- MeaningDo you like hospital food?A mock-menacing question used as a threat, implying that the speaker will injure the listener badly enough to land them in hospital.
- MeaningDown the rabbit holeTo become absorbed in something strange, complicated or obsessive, especially a line of inquiry that leads further and further away from where it started.
- MeaningParty animalSomeone who loves parties and socialising, and who is devoted to going out and having a good time.
- MeaningThe Midas touchAn uncanny ability to turn whatever one takes on into a financial or commercial success.
- MeaningWhen life gives you lemons, make lemonadeWhen circumstances deal you misfortune, you should make the best of it and turn it into something positive.
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Phrases.org.uk has been documenting the meaning and origin of phrases, sayings and idioms since 1997. Every entry is researched and written by Gary Martin, with citations to the earliest printed use we can find.
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